Alignment questions slope location single-family house new construction

Good morning,
we have bought a property with an existing building and have been planning for some time now, already have 2 architectural drafts,
but somehow neither of them feels quite right yet.
Demolition is already arranged. The existing building with basement is too small and the material does not provide a basis for it.

For orientation, it became number 33
1100 m²
20 m plot width
Key data from the development plan (1967!):
1 full floor, roof pitch 0-25°

Oriented picture, garden with west orientation



Height plan with half-meter cracks





Neighbor has already added 2 full floors, if the basement later is no longer a basement – no problem, I think


We are 40-44 years old with 2 kids (6 and 10)
Our wish would be a "bungalow" with a living basement
in the living basement the kids + functional rooms
it should later be separable and function as an independent apartment (for the kids or for renting out)

One wish was, if possible, to access the house dry and level from the garage
My wife wants a garden room next to the front door for jackets, shoes, school bags, etc.
all things that in our current apartment with an open entrance area are always in the way

Here is a variant with split entrance, which has shifted lower so that we don’t need a signature from the neighbor for the garage (height max 3 m at the highest point)
we are also already considering moving the entrance down, separating it there and creating an option through conversion/ramp) to possibly create an accessible entrance to the ground floor in front of the house



Our thoughts on this, we will go into another round with him, but we would appreciate feedback on our thoughts

We do not want a south terrace; if we want sun, we go into the garden
Covered seating area on the ground floor preferably on the north/west so that it is bearable there in summer, if the entrance or garage were to be located down there, part of it could possibly be used as a terrace (?)
I can now also do without a garage, a carport would be okay and would have the advantage that the roof could run with the slope next to the house

We want a separate living room (was not considered), as it serves as a TV room in everyday life and is therefore only used in the evenings.
The focal point is and should remain the living kitchen, with a cozy seating bench/corner bench where there is also space for 12+ people.
When I project the floor plan onto the plot and see where we look through the windows, we somehow don’t like it
from the garden virtually nothing can be seen, the view only goes to the neighbor and his "brushwood" in front of the door.
Visually, we quite like the Regnauer houses with a continuous exterior wrap, which with the corresponding roof overhang are also useful as natural sun-heat protection in summer

Looking forward to feedback, knowing that we are still at the very beginning and ourselves very undecided regarding many fundamental questions (which somehow still keeps us from the 2nd appointment with the architect, but we ourselves somehow do not get any further. 2 blocks with sketches are done, but the aha moment is still missing
The architect’s draft was started deliberately without input from a floor plan idea on our part.

Best regards

we bought a property with an existing building and have been planning for some time now, already have 2 architect designs, but somehow neither is quite right yet. Demolition is already decided. Existing building with a basement is too small and the material does not provide a basis for it

Instead of two whole ones, I only see half and can hardly interpret that, whether it is supposed to be a remodeling result (?), in any case I see no entrance except through the garage. A demolition is not a value in itself, but only useless costs. I could reasonably imagine demolishing the house and keeping the basement. Since it is well suited for an external access due to the terrain and you do not necessarily need an internal access to storage rooms and you also don't constantly fiddle with the heating, that would give the freedom to emancipate from the current stairwell. Two architects for the preliminary design are a good idea, and it is good to have approached them without the mental corset of a brought floor plan set.

these are also useful as natural sun-heat protection in summer with the corresponding roof overhang

one wish was to get from the garage into the house as dry and level as possible

Where are you building then, where it always rains and the sun is so present?

if the basement would no longer be a basement afterward - no problem I think

It must not be a full storey according to the state building code or presumably the development plan at least. On average, according to many building codes, it may protrude up to 1.40 meters above ground level. But it could also be regulated differently in the development plan.
Does your neighbor who is adding a floor also have your development plan applying? It could also be that a different one applies on the other side of the street. But basically it doesn't matter, since you want to build a bungalow.

the architect's design was started deliberately without input from us regarding a floor plan idea.

That is good, so he can be creative himself and your knowledge is not limited.

wish would be a "bungalow" with living basement
in the living basement the kids + utility rooms
it should later be separable and function as an independent apartment (for kids or for renting)

It naturally makes sense to design the basement as a basement floor, i.e., a habitable lower floor. However, you then have to deal with the fact that later tenants will have access to your garden, where you only have a balcony. You still have the east terrace, which will probably also be raised.
The planner has actually solved this quite well for later (rental).
However, it is basically not desirable if you build an expensive plot with an expensive house and then cannot access the plot without obstacles. You yourselves write that in good weather you want to go into the garden.

My wife wants a garden room next to the front door for jackets, shoes, school bags, etc. etc.

A wardrobe should always be generously available, whether separated or as a large wardrobe cabinet.

We want a separate living room (was not considered),

that could be separated. I see no problem with that now.

When I project the floor plan onto the plot and see where we look through the windows, we somehow don't like it
from the garden virtually nothing can be seen, the view is only to the neighbor and their "brushwood" in front of the door.

Well, of course, you will not have a view to the west from every room. To the west is currently the spacious kitchen, something has to face south. And windows to the south are naturally beneficial both energetically and mentally in winter. Others would build a hedge or some privacy screen there. You can do that too to get privacy.

(By the way, I currently cannot see the design on the computer and am answering from memory of the design I could see on the phone.)

So, I looked at it again.
If you look at the aerial photo, you can see how the previous owner planted a hedge to the south. Something like that just needs to be extended. Everyone is responsible for the planting on their own property. Then you don’t need to look at the neighbor’s planting.

Be aware of how your basement affects the ground floor in terms of garden usage. Possibly, you could exploit the building envelope upwards if renting plays a major role for you. I know many people, myself included, for whom a) the hurdle of a balcony is not acceptable. Many therefore have the kitchen and dining area, i.e. the living area during the day, in the basement with a terrace and barrier-free access to the garden, and the bedrooms upstairs, since you always have something to do in the garden anyway (unless, of course, you hire someone to take care of it).
And b) it is also not desired to share the garden with tenants or give it up and then be pushed back as the owner upstairs and have to look after the tenants.
Regarding Regnauer: they now build everything, traditionally but also modern. I haven’t seen a bungalow from them yet.
Designs must, by the way, be evaluated compactly with all floors.

Thank you, unfortunately the basement a) is too small and not high enough b) is already streaked with saltpeter in some places c) the channel in the floor slab has already caused problems according to neighbors

Thanks the neighbor is subject to the same development plan, with a one-time payment to the municipality in the form of land use x standard land value he got through with a small five-figure amount, if avoidable desirable Renting is actually not primarily the reason not to use the basement as main living space, but the dark atmosphere due to shadow casting from the neighbor, the view from the ground floor is already quite nice – distant vineyards on the other side of the Moselle We thought about it for a long time but that is set, the terrace to the garden should come with stairs

We just don’t want to build a standard single-family house and then have 150+ m² alone “on our hands” when the kids leave, hence the idea to design it from the start as 2 possible residential units

Strange, I can only see the draft on my phone, here again Bungalow is the wrong term, it’s actually a standard single-family house in which the attic is designed as a basement and ideally the parents' bedroom is on the ground floor

The entrance area is marked as covered





With this variant, the part in front of the house will also be very jagged on the left side of the house there should be a driveway to the garden, i.e. there would be 3 height levels (and separation (=cost)) to build

Especially the access or parking situation is something we feel is not quite right or no one has really addressed yet, just a feeling

And you actually want to place the balcony over the windows of the two children's rooms? Child 1 will become a dark hole. Even if the balcony is definitely decided on, I would actually leave the rental aspect out and not plan it in at all. When the youngest child leaves the house, you will be just around 60 (+-), and you will surely find another use for the two rooms: new hobbies, sauna, sports e.g. yoga, an office?!, guest room for the children or grandchildren, or later a caregiver.. I assume you don't need to worry about the problems of renting/parking/second house entrance when you look at the rooms - an apartment actually requires more than 2 rooms, kitchen, bathroom. Still, the parking problem of the house remains.. you could possibly go a bit wider and place the carport in front of the house. Does the carport have to be within the building envelope or can it also be set in front?